So, Ive been thinking.. we have been together for a long time, we love each other, we do everything together. I mean... we are happy yes? But there is some strange thing between us, what is it that causes us to fight, why do we never settle things rationally? But I love you don't you understand this? I think its time for us to move to the next step, to further our relationship and strengthen our bond. I know you feel the need to push my buttons all the time, but I feel like im the one carrying all the weight and guiding us on a more direct path. You simply just cant do it on your own, and neither can I.. we must work together!

And so the thumb and the forearm continue to work out their differences, still arguing and still struggling to find some form of dominance in their relationship, when the reality is without the forearm, the thumb will be nothing. Without the thumb, the forearm still has 4 other dirt bags to use and get a ride from.. what a filthy whore.

It's time to put a nail in this coffin once and for all. Here is the simple truth of the matter, the use of your forearm compared to the use of your thumb or wrist is not only more stable, but will also increase the accuracy of drawing, handwriting, aiming, painting, etc.. Most art teachers will tell you this, or if you have ever taken a handwriting course you will be told to not use your fingers, but to use your shoulder and forearm instead. The fingers are provided as a guide when it comes to writing or drawing, etc. They should not be the focal point of aiming, they are very restricted in movement and cannot cover certain angles nore do they have a broad range of movement like the shoulder or forearm.

Now apply this into a video game, aiming in a video game is no different than drawing with a mouse in photoshop, paint, or whatever program you use. You are using the mouse as your aiming tool, much like you would a pen, only a very large pen, and your fingers act as its guide. You then use your forearm, elbow, and shoulder to cover the range of movement on your canvas (screen). If you are someone who uses just your wrist to move your mouse around, I highly recommend using your forearm, elbow and shoulder more often, over time you will see a drastic difference in your accuracy both in video games and in drawing / aiming with the mouse. Now this does not mean you should never use your wrist? Not really, your wrist can help you put in details on a drawing, or allow you to focus your movement on a specific area. However in order to cover larger areas and move from one side of the canvas (screen) to the other with ease and great speed, using your forearm is far more efficient, and accurate. Applying this simple method in a video game will show you that moving about in a game world, having the reactionary time to do a 180 or snap movements, will greatly be improved with the use of the forearm more than it would be with the wrist, and especially the thumb.



"But I have no problem aiming with the thumbstick, maybe you should try to use it more". Well with console games, sensitivity of movement is restricted within a certain range, you can only move so fast, and you can only move so slow. Example: what would take someone two quick passes with the mouse on a low sensitivity will take someone holding down in one direction with the joystick 1-2 seconds longer to complete the action along with having a greater chance of "over shooting" the intended target and having to adjust aim (note that I said greater chance of missing, that doesn't mean you will always miss). The thumbs movements are not as free as you think, your forearm, elbow and shoulder working together is using a greater amount of muscles and joints when they are doing their work, which provides them with greater support and more efficient movement, your thumb is limited to very few muscles and joints, thus limiting its time and ability to perform certain actions.

Now comes "there is no distinct advantage between a controller and a keyboard and mouse". Well with this, it really boils down to the type of game you are playing. A console controller can work great with certain games, but can also be very restrictive with others. It works the same way with a keyboard and mouse, some games the keyboard and mouse are superior tools, other games it really can be a downfall.

Simulations, Real Time Strategy Games, and First Person Shooters generally have more freedoms with keyboard, mice, and joysticks than a controller can offer. Ranging from the freedom of movement, to complex control setups and binds. MMO's can also be tossed into this mix as well with using abilities, casting skills, and interface management. Now I know you will say "well what about End War, Halo Wars, C&C 3, etc" and I will say this to you... While developers have successfully brought RTS games to the console market and utilized the control scheme very well, it still lacks a wide range of hotkey macros that you could get with a keyboard, simply because the controller does not have enough buttons. While some may consider this personal preference, it really is more productive to master those control structures and use them regularly in an RTS. Starcraft tournaments for example, key binds are being used almost every step of the way in an average match to manage bases, production queues, managing multiple units, etc.



However there are some games where the controller serves as a more pleasant control scheme, with games such as side scrollers, some RPG's, racing games (tho some prefer wheels over anything else with this type of game), arcade-simulations, fighting games (fight sticks over controllers for some), etc. Using the thumbsticks in racing games, rpgs, and arcade simulations for movement & acceleration is by far much better than having one solid set movement speed that you get from pushing a button on a keyboard, but god bless that shift key! ;)

Now I know some of you will bring the whole argument of "I like to sit on my couch", "computers are too expensive", or "who left the toilet seat up".. none of this is relevant to the technical aspects of control schemes. But here is a quick note: You can sit on your couch and play consoles, or on your pc.. there are wireless keyboards and mice out there, and they have been around long before consoles adapted the wireless technology. And as for the computers are too expensive.. thats a bag of worms i'll save for another day.

Who uses what is of no concern to me, some people are comfortable using controllers, others keyboard and mouse, there is nothing wrong with that. But there IS a difference between control schemes, some have its advantages over others depending on the game, and the games control structure. And using your forearm, elbow, shoulder opposed to your thumb or wrist is far more accurate and efficient. Does that really make one control scheme better than the other? Really it depends on what game you play and what you use to play that game. Keyboards & Mice, Controllers, Joysticks, Wheels, and wii motes are tools used for a specific purpose, you wont always want to use the same tool for every task you take on, whether it be tools for video games, for drawing, for plumbing, or tools for sex. You will never use the same thing for everything, if you do.. well... im never touching your controllers.